


Buddie meta for season 4

by matan4il



Series: Buddie meta [4]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M, Meta
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28878429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matan4il/pseuds/matan4il
Summary: I was encouraged to post my meta to AO3 in addition to posting it onmy Tumblr. I'll be doing this weekly!Update:I'm posting my 405 Buddie meta and apologizing that I'm late on AO3. You can always find *all* of my meta posts on my Tumblr (and I always post the weekly meta within less than 24 hours after an ep has aired), in addition to my other Buddie content.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Buddie meta [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1713691
Comments: 57
Kudos: 90





	1. 401

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much to the awesome [Maszzaj](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maszzaj/pseuds/maszzaj) who made the gifs for this post!

  


Alright, first thing that I need to talk about is the possibility that Eddie *might* have quarantined with Buck at some point, because Buck talks about Eddie and Hen having gone back to their kids months ago and while it leaves it ambiguous where exactly they quarantined before they went back home, it definitely is suggestive that it could have been with Buck as well. And since I am a simple Buddie ho, I will take that ambiguity and run with it.

* * * 

I’ve said before that I try to stay away from speculations, but I had to take one second to point out that the way Chim, Maddie and Albert all talk about the mystery woman as if it’s certainly romantic even though they know nothing about her and while dismissing Buck’s denial is precisely the proof that it’s going to, well... not be romantic. I’ve said cautiously that I think it’ll be a therapist and I think that’s pretty much a fandom wide consensus, but I wanted to point out the narrative tells here that give it away: unfounded insistence that it’s romantic? It’s not romantic. What is it? Most likely connected to the other stuff we see with Buck in this ep, which is him obsessively looking up facts about the Hollywood reservoir. We first encountered this tendency in ep 309 (of kitchen flirting fame), where Eddie explains Buck’s been doing this since the tsunami, so ever since his trauma, meaning this link raises the odds for the therapist guess. Eddie’s also here to remind us of this connection when he brings up the tsunami himself, although he’s obviously trying to make a joke out of it (which, in a previous meta post I’ve discussed how this is a part of Eddie’s mechanism to defuse a tense situation… evidenced in 309’s kitchen scene as well). So I’ll throw this in as a bonus at the end of the therapist speculation: look at how well Eddie knows Buck and how much he wants to distract Buck from feeling anxious, note how he wants to make Buck feel better rather than get a laugh, which is why he waits until they’re alone. I love a concerned husband! 

  
* * *  


Small shout out to the foreshadowing of Buck saying “I don’t have a secret,” when we know from promo interviews that we’ll discover there is some sort of a Buckley family secret with Buck at its center… Nice touch setting this up, show. 

* * * 

Okay, so we’re all gonna talk about the sexy leaning against the firetruck that Buck does while Eddie’s oh so close to him, right? Which is apparently a thing, as we’ve seen them do it outside the house they come to for a call in 310, as well (it’s a bit blurry and in the background, but it’s there and I love it). But then, I just have to point out that Eddie also allows himself to look at Buck’s screen. IDK if it’s just a different norm I’m not aware of, but even with friends who look at their phones while we hang out together, even with my own sister, I don’t look at other people’s screens unless they explicitly show it to me, because that’s theirs, that’s private. The way Eddie looks at Buck’s phone and Buck doesn’t mind it, it’s not just that they’re all up in each other’s physical space, they’re just all up in each other’s space, period. 

  
* * *  


One more little side note… Last season, I pointed out that Michael’s new guy is Dr. Hale. Now we have a first name for him, which is David. First, as a name geek, let me squeal a bit over the fact that they matched them, so they both have Hebrew names! Second, the meaning of ‘David’ is ‘beloved’ and specifically, in the Bible, David was the character who was most likely bisexual and had a love affair with Jonathan, immortalizing it with the words, “your love has been more wondrous to me than the love of women.” I'm so here for a well chosen character name! 

* * * 

Throwback point, but hey, I gotta. Buck sees this huge explosion and we know how much Bobby means to him, how the Captain has a parental role in his life, we’ve heard him verbalizing it even (in ep 310). So no wonder he’s distraught when he sees that fire ball coming out of the bus. Yet, compare how he reacts here with the utter devastation he displays in 315 when Eddie’s underground. I’m never gonna stop pointing out that the way he reacted in Eddie Begins is more, more frantic, more desperate, more like his whole world collapsed rather than like one important person in it is in danger and the more scenes we get that show the difference, the more obvious that is.

* * * 

I know I seem to be mentioning this in a lot of my meta posts, but… Buddie are being battlefield boyfriends again! I’m gonna continue mentioning this because (a) quick reminder that this was originally a homoerotic trope; (b) at some point I will do a summary and statistical analysis of how many times we’ve seen this. Because it’s not the same as other firefighters when they team up on OG or LS. Buddie have their own thing going, they’re a team onto themselves within the bigger 118 team, they even seem to have preferred roles that they take (this is now the third time we’ve seen Buck repelling down a rope while Eddie holds him… the previous two times being in 208 and 316). The amount of coordination and trust between them as partners always expands my heart! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my Buddie meta and are looking for more, you can find it on my content masterlist, over [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bother), if you're curious to check out my Buddie fics, you'll find them [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bfics). If you need a quick explanation on how to use [my content masterlist](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_main), you can find it [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/622815673580650496/pinned-post-all-my-content). Feel free to leave kudos, comments, or get in touch through [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/)! <333


	2. 402

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the kind [Maszzaj](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maszzaj/pseuds/maszzaj) who made the gifs for this post! Originally posted on [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/641393439145164800/buddie-402-meta).

  


Let’s start with some Buck and how this ep is reminding us all along of his progress. Remember him at the start of season 1, rash and reckless and told off by Hen for solving everything by smashing things? Well, he still gets to smash things, but now we also see him cool, collected and resolving problems by figuring out awesome and smart solutions (the baby monitor feedback, the chimney). All this parallels his emotional progress, where he went from being the “dumbass kid” as Bobby refers to him in ep 101 to giving Chim advice on his relationship with Maddie from a mature place.

* * * 

I loved the bit with the roommates and the feelings realization during lockdown together. A comical wink at what Buck and Eddie might have gone through if Eddie did quarantine at Buck’s before he went home to Chris? ;) IDK, but it’s a fun thought. *gasp* _And they were roommates!_

* * * 

I mentioned this in the 401 meta and I’m keeping up my promise to follow this, how Buddie are a team with preferred roles, infinite coordination and mutual reliance. Just one ep later, we have it again, down to Buck rappelling down a rope while Eddie holds him, even attaching the equipment on him instead of Buck doing it for himself, passing him the ax and being so in sync with him. Battle boyfriends!

* * * 

Ok, I title these posts ‘Buddie meta’, focusing on anything related to Buck, Eddie, them as a ship and the characters/couples that parallel/connect to them, because that alone is way too many words already. But I have to mention the scene where Chim and Athena’s story arcs climax in intertwined cuts. Everything about that is amazing, not just the acting, but the editing, the music, the build up to how we get to this moment to make it so effective, even the way they managed to create two totally different scenarios that both culminate in the need to ‘push!’ It’s masterful. It’s the show telling us, ‘look at me, look at how well I know my craft, at how I build a story and its meanings and parallels, at how good I am when I do it.’ This is the show earning our trust and our love, proving that we’re not just wasting our time when we give it credit and invest time and thought into analyzing it.

* * * 

Chim isn’t paired up with Eddie in this ep, but I had to think about their parallels. Chim comes to see he’s been scared and that’s why he ran away, but he figured it out and came back to his child, just like Eddie did. But Chim came back to his kid and to Maddie, realizing it’s gonna be better if they’ll be scared together. Eddie returned to Chris, but how sad is it that at the end of the day, he didn’t have a partner to be scared with? When he was discharged, Shannon felt she had to go. And even later on, she didn’t feel she could stay and be with him, asking for a divorce. How wonderful would it be if in Buck, Eddie finally found a partner he could be scared together with? Because in practicality, that’s what’s been happening since 204, when Eddie was overwhelmed by and terrified of the bureaucratic system and Buck found a solution for him (Carla… don’t get me started about her speaking of invisible strings of love to Chris with Eddie right there, that scene was too sweet, and just think about the fact that it exists thanks to Buck), or another example of how Eddie went to Buck when he was scared about having let Chris down in ep 312 and Buck is there to listen, as well as to help with a solution. Just another reminder that in all ways but one, they truly and fully are partners.

* * * 

The mystery woman turned out to be a therapist, no surprise there. However, Buck’s exact words to her were a pleasant one, as was the way Oliver delivered the line. So I’ll step into speculation territory again (please don’t allow me to keep doing this). TBH, I actually don’t think this will immediately lead us to Buddie or a bi!Buck. I think this will first play out in the context of telling Maddie and his parents how he really feels when they will come into town. We already knew from 316 Buck sometimes holds back on some of the things he feels, like how it’s taken him years to tell Maddie about his feelings of loneliness and abandonment, so this falls in line and I do believe he will have to go through this family drama first to figure himself out. He will have a crisis, it’s not going to be easy to get through, but it will be so very important. But then, later on, I think the show might return to these words and build upon them as a parallel. Because if we are getting Buddie, then this is a slow burn. Gotta throw in a couple more obstacles first, like going through an identity crisis… those obstacles will only make the journey that much more worthwhile when we get to the final destination. And I do see over time more and more of a possibility this destination is that Buddie will be together canonically. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my Buddie meta and are looking for more, you can find it on my content masterlist, over [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bother), if you're curious to check out my Buddie fics, you'll find them [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bfics). If you need a quick explanation on how to use [my content masterlist](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_main), you can find it [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/622815673580650496/pinned-post-all-my-content). Feel free to leave kudos, comments, or get in touch through [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/)! <333


	3. 403 + LS crossover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the wonderful [Kourt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/falconbigbutt/profile) who made the gifs for this post! Originally posted on [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/642158836230324226/buddie-403-crossover-meta).

  
  


I loved the little moments of Buck and Eddie working as one on the first call, fully in sync even in passing tools (just like in 402), but also their little chat during this is so nice, because Eddie admits what he doesn’t like to Buck, as well as what he would like to get for his home next. 

  
* * *

If that wasn’t enough, Buddie were full on co-parenting, we’re shown they even have a role division (stern vs. fun parent), just like they have one in the field. I’m gonna stress, this isn’t friends hanging out. We really see that when we compare scenes of them with ones of Hen and Athena, including in this very ep. We always see those two ladies talking to each other, the show never bothers showing us them coming over to interact with each other’s kids. Because they’re just friends, while Buddifer are a full family unit. 

  
* * *

This is further shown with the prank at the end of the ep. It highlights how much Buck is a part of this family unit, he has his own line of communication with Chris that doesn’t go through Eddie, with their own jokes and plans, and guh, he is just clearly so much more to Christopher than just his dad’s friend. The prank itself is funny and cute, but also? Eddie was hesitant to get something for himself just because he wanted it, rather than needed. Remember how bare his room is in 204 in comparison with Chris’? And under the guise of a prank, Buck made sure Eddie got to indulge for once. I heart. 

  
* * *

When Buck wasn’t on a call, Eddie was not only indicating Buck’s weird trivia knowledge is rubbing off on him, which I love, but I also adore that he didn’t even have to explain who he’s referring to. Buck’s clearly on Eddie’s mind, even when he’s absent. 

  
* * *

Despite the fact that we see a lot of firefighters from the 118 getting ready to go to Texas, I adore that Buck and Eddie are basically in their own little bubble, until Hen joins in. Also, where is the line we had in the promo for 403? “Do you think it will be weird, fighting fires with other partners?” TBH, I can’t swear it’s ‘partners’ and not ‘departments,’ but either way, it only highlighted to me, how much they are in their own little zone and I am disappointed it was cut out. This now joins several Tarlos scenes that were also used in promos and cut out from the ep, which to me says there is something sorta similar in the way 911 sees Buddie and Tarlos as selling points for their respective shows. 

  
* * *

When Eddie finds that Owen and Hen got out, he says that to Buck. The 126, who Buddie have now friended, are there and worried about their Cap, but Eddie is only addressing Buck. It’s small, but it does things to me. 

  
* * *

Ah, the Marjan saga had so much Buddie stuff. IDK how, but they managed to build a scenario where both Buck and Eddie seemed to be jealous of each other over Marjan. The way it plays out is interesting, ‘coz what is the build of this little thing? First, Eddie is annoyed Buck is giving her his attention. He states with annoyance, “you’re staring,” like he was just waiting for Hen to say something so he could, too. He gives Buck a small punch, even. Then he goes and finds a way to join her team, he wasn’t assigned it. Kind of an in your face to Buck? And when Buck was so happy it would be “you and me,” him and his Eddie, he turns so disappointed to learn Eddie is going off, and even more when it turns out it’s with her. Eddie is so smug Buck witnessed that. Buck then recalls who she is and goes on about following her online and not getting a follow back. Well, when Eddie and Marjan actually start talking, it pretty quickly shifts to Chris, but also, to Buck (and Eddie gets this smile when he says “Buck helped”), who apparently is on Eddie’s social media. Like a bf more than like a colleague. And we get confirmation that Buck and Eddie built the skateboard for Chris in 312. It was implied Buck was involved somehow, but now we know for sure the skateboard wasn’t store bought, they built it. Together. HUSBANDS. Now, before this is over, Eddie will put his initial annoyance aside and make sure Buck gets his follow back. This is what they chose as the conclusion to this arc, Eddie seeing to it that Buck gets what he wanted. And when this is aired together with the ep where we saw Buck making sure Eddie got what he wanted. Their parallels and mutual caring kills me. 

  


* * * 

Also, compare Eddie telling Marjan about Chris after she sees his photo to Buck hearing about him in 202. Buck is immediately emotionally invested and cries out, “I love kids,” while Marjan doesn’t say anything in particular, instead she keeps scrolling Eddie’s IG. It ends up serving as a small reminder that Buck was the perfect fit for the Diaz family from the start in a way no one else would be. 

  
* * *

Lastly, TK and Buck going into a ‘measuring contest’ parallels ep 201, on the ambulance, when Eddie asks Buck, “what are we measuring here?” Consider how these two moments of tension between colleagues end. Buck and Eddie basically beam at each other like newlyweds exchanging vows and promise to have each other’s back. It’s so much more intense than Buck and TK, who end up simply nice to each other. Yet despite how much less intense their patching things up is, TK still thinks Buck is hitting on him. I love what this says about Buddie’s moment in 201. But speaking of TK’s assumption, in addition to being yet *another* wink at bi!Buck (together with the tapeworm guy in 107, two talks with maddie suggesting he has a crush on Eddie in 204 and 206, elf lady in 210 and poker with Josh in 312), most importantly, as TK leaves, with Buck still confused, Eddie walks in. It’s such a statement in terms of cinematic language. It’s not just a nod to bi!Buck, it’s this hint that just like TK has a boyfriend, Buck does too and that guy just walked in. This is how TV creates foreshadowing and the tension of “will they/won’t they” with straight couples and no, I will not calm down. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my Buddie meta and are looking for more, you can find it on my content masterlist, over [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bother). If you're curious to check out my Buddie fics, you'll find them on the list [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bfics). If you need a quick explanation on how to use [the list](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_main), you can find it [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/622815673580650496/pinned-post-all-my-content). Feel free to leave kudos, comments, or get in touch through [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/)! <333


	4. 404

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the wonderful Dhylen, who made the gifs for this post! Find their blog together with the original post on [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/642661772134924288/buddie-404-meta).

  
  


I keep going on in my meta posts about how Buddie are battlefield boyfriends, but it’s true on so many levels. The first call in this app proves they’re not just partners in how they take on the firefighting tasks during a call, they’re also partners when they try to solve the crime (yes, 911, please give us that podcast) and in how, when Buck is feeling that something is off with Chim, he turns naturally to Eddie. Even though Hen knows Chim better and asking her if something was off with him might actually yield some info. But this is really about Buck feeling a little distraught that something’s off between him and Chim, and when he’s in emotional distress, it’s Eddie he turns to. 

  
* * *

OK, but speaking of battlefield boyfriends, you know how so often their movements are in sync? In this ep, they said “copy that” to Bobby at the exact same time. It’s ridiculous and cute and soulmate material, for real. Later on, when Buck makes an unintentional pun about blowing stuff up while Chim is inside with the bomber, it’s Eddie he apologizes to for his choice of words. Not that Eddie is bothered, but the levels on which they’re tuned into each other… I’m speechless. 

  
* * *

I love that Buck isn’t keeping his therapy a secret from his colleagues. But when Bobby, who’s his boss (in charge of knowing the whereabouts of his team) and his dad figure, is asking about him, it’s Eddie who knows where Buck is and not only that he’s having a therapy session just then, that it’s an emergency one and exactly what Buck is going to talk about. The level of details he’s privy to is one usually reserved for an actual partner. And doesn’t the fact that Bobby *knows* to ask Eddie rather than anyone else just scream how much their close partnership is acknowledged and accepted? 

  
* * *

God, the boxing scene is so much. Eddie’s the guy that Buck confides in with the anger that he normally hides from everyone. And Eddie’s the person who defends Buck, even from himself, verbally (telling Buck he did nothing wrong and he shouldn’t be apologizing), physically (grabbing the bag so that Buck wouldn’t go too hard and hurt himself) and emotionally (pulling out of his own painful experience to advise Buck to stick with therapy and not go down the path of rage). Together with the hospital jail scene in 213, this is also a reminder that Buck does open up to Eddie, not just the other way around. I swear to God, I have never seen any TV couple with these levels of mutual giving and caring, including canon romantic ones. That this scene also parallels their gym confrontation in 201 (as pointed out by the amazing @bvckleydiaz based on the promos already), so we get to see how far they’ve come from that initial tension to this place where they’re inarguably partners in so many ways, is a beautiful bonus. 

* * *

  


I’m thinking of how throughout the ep, we see how much of a team Buck and Eddie are, while at the beginning of it, we see Buck telling Maddie they’re a team, but as the ep progresses, he discovers that’s not quite the case, culminating with discovering she’s been lying to him for 29 years. Add to that what I mentioned in my initial post about this ep, that Buck’s speech to his parents (telling them that when someone makes mistakes, you don’t give up on them and that you love people regardless of mistakes) parallels Eddie’s speech at the end of ep 303 (that he’s made countless mistakes with Chris, but he loves him enough to keep trying and he can tell that Buck does, too), all of this says that the show is building a better case than any of us ever could about why Eddie and Buck are the perfect couple. They complete and heal each other. Eddie’s parents thought he was a failure as a dad, while Buck admired him instantly for what a good dad he is. Buck’s parents gave up on him, but Eddie never did, even when Buck was really struggling, after quitting his job and then after the tsunami. They’re the perfect fit to heal each other’s parental inflicted wounds, to love each other where even their own parents failed to, and that says everything about why Buddie should be a canon couple, IMO. 

_(the following bit contains references to the Buckley secret and 406 synopsis)_

So, I considered the older dead sibling theory and it became my front runner during ep 403, when we saw Maddie’s fear not only for Buck, but also over not being able to protect her child once it’s born. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about the secret, connected to my own life and family, but in connection to Buddie, I find it really comforting to see that I can correctly read the big twists and reveals of the show (this season, the therapist and the dead older brother), because it means I’m I’m not too off in reading how the show builds these up, how it constructs its narratives. When the show does carefully plant hints and then later delivers on them, it makes me feel like all of the hints and subtextual touches with Buddie can’t be ignored either. I always say that this is no guarantee of anything, but because the show does deliver on the groundwork it has laid out, that’s at least a positive sign. And I’m guessing with the released synopsis for 406, people will need some positivity. So what I can offer is this: every slow burn has some obstacles, often in the form of temporary Love Interests. I don’t think the show has invested enough in Ana’s character so far to give her staying power and be anything but a temp LI, def not when compared to Buck’s place in Eddie’s life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my Buddie meta and are looking for more, you can find it on my content masterlist, over [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bother). If you're curious to check out my Buddie fics, you'll find them on the list [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bfics). If you need a quick explanation on how to use [the list](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_main), you can find it [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/622815673580650496/pinned-post-all-my-content). Feel free to leave kudos, comments, or get in touch through [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/)! <333


	5. 405

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to the kind [Maszzaj](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maszzaj/pseuds/maszzaj) who made the gifs for this post! Originally posted on [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/643300851679625216/buddie-405-meta).

This ep was The Buckley Siblings Begin tied in to being Buck Begins and I very much love it. That’s about as much as I can say about Buck and/or the sibling relationship, because like last week, there are things that hit too close to home and I’ve been crying way too much since the ep aired. But even as an older sister, I had to say I loved this! And I loved that where Buck’s parents couldn’t see beyond their pain and looked right through him, Maddie kept every postcard and image of Buck on his journey to find himself. She saw it all and she retained it all and it all mattered. Excuse me, I am a puddle of feels.

  
* * *

  


Overall, I think out of all of the 'Begins' eps, Buck’s resembled Eddie’s the most in terms of structure. Both eps start with something that the protagonist needs to learn tied in to his present story by and large, then we have a crisis during a call, and eventually the way that the call is resolved ties in with the protagonist coming to embrace a resolution that will help him grow and move on from the past that was just fleshed out to us. I won’t bore you with an analysis of the other ‘Begins’ eps, but each of them is missing at least one crucial component of this structure. And I like that this means the parallels you can draw between 315 and 405 are almost endless. I like that in this, the show highlights how much these two men have in common, having been mistreated by their own parents, going through a crisis, almost giving up, but then finding exactly what they needed to move towards their own new families that they invested themselves in out of choice (Eddie finding the realization he has built a new family with the 118, and with Buck and Chris; Buck finding that Maddie was there for him even when he thought she wasn’t and, if he was unsure during the LS crossover whether his friends would come for him, learning that they would, always). 

  


* * * 

  


We didn’t get a lot of Buck with the firefam scenes, if you think about it. And when we did, they were short. However! In each one of those scenes, Eddie was emphasized. From the moment Buck starts voicing his pain through the humorous tone, Eddie is the first face the camera cuts to, capturing his reaction, with a zoom in, twice in a row. That Eddie was first was already telling, but for a more neutral tone, I would have expected the camera to do the second zoom in on another of Buck’s teammates, to allow them to deliver the second line that lets us know how much pain Buck is actually in. But nope, we get Eddie again. Then the camera turns to Bobby and Hen together. Yes, it will then also zoom in on the rest individually, but the pattern established of Eddie being highlighted will continue. The building explodes with Buck inside? Eddie gets a lot of zoom in shots, while Chim and Hen are mostly shown together. The team makes it inside to save Buck? Eddie will be the first to appear, the first to grab the rope which signals Buck’s rescue, and the only one zoomed in on. Buck has a scene with the firefam after he’s out and Eddie’s not there? Eddie will be the first one to greet him when Buck returns from his medical check up and they will share this scene all by themselves while Bobby just walks away like it’s obvious they need time for themselves. Hen wasn’t focused on like this while Chim was inside with the bomber. Chim wasn’t zoomed in on like this when Hen was trapped underground. If Buddie isn’t endgame, why are they so constantly emphasized in relation to each other, Buck during the well collapsing in 315 and Eddie during Buck’s internal and external turmoil in 405? 

  
  


* * * 

Speaking of that turmoil. We have all noticed that Buck is trying to play his pain off as a joke, right? At first Eddie reacts in kind, but then he realizes that it’s way more serious than Buck initially let on (and in this, Eddie sets the tone for the rest of the firefam in that scene, too). I wanted to point out that this made me think we keep seeing them rubbing off on each other. Just like we saw Eddie in 403 sharing weird trivia he clearly knew thanks to Buck’s passion (which is even hinted at in the dialogue), we see here that Buck has learned from Eddie’s tendency to use humor when trying to deflect pain. This is so married couple behavior, I’m astounded.

* * * 

In that bar in Peru, Buck was also using his passion for trivia in order to try and connect with the guy he was serving. He drops it when the guy checks out a girl passing by, sort of laughing it off knowingly, even though they continue talking. It’s subtle and more open to interpretation, but the fact that he drops it when the guy shows his sexual interests lie elsewhere makes it seem like maybe Buck was interested, but realized the guy’s a no go. Yes, we have another bi!Buck hint IMO. Then consider how with Eddie, Buck is successful in connecting using this tactic and I’m… at a loss for words, really. 

  
* * *

  


Ooof, when Eddie welcomes Buck upon his return from his medical check up, that scene is so coupley, I can’t even… First, that he was waiting for Buck to return, like a good spouse. Then, he brings back their coupley banter and Eddie looks so happy to be doing that! Next, we see Buck explaining himself, not to his Captain (who has had issues with Buck's recklessness in the past) but to Eddie, he’s the one that counts and is expected to be upset. But Eddie isn’t, doesn’t even roll his eyes (like he did, for example, at Buck’s passion for rope rescues in 316). No, he’s soft and fond and familiar, knowing that this is what Buck had to do and clearly finding something very comforting in that: in that Buck is still the guy he is even during rough times; in that Eddie gets how he is and in that Eddie values him for it. Again with the parallels to 315, think of how Eddie himself had to cut the rope, so he gets why Buck had to try and save the guy despite the risk. But then also consider the parallel with Ali in 218. She watched Buck and who he is, but couldn’t take it. Eddie not only takes it, he loves the way his husband ticks. And yes, I said husband, there is no other word for them at this point. Especially because then we get Eddie telling Buck about his parents, which suggests that he had been spending time with them, probably sharing with them the stories about how amazing Buck is. How is that not spouse behavior? Tim Minear, explain!

If you like my takes on this ep, you can find my sort of fix-it-fic for Buck Begins, **Reflections of You** , [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29111406/chapters/71461794). Thank you for reading!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my Buddie meta and are looking for more, you can find it on my content masterlist, over [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bother), if you're curious to check out my Buddie fics, you'll find them [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_Bfics). If you need a quick explanation on how to use [my content masterlist](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/ml_main), you can find it [here](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/post/622815673580650496/pinned-post-all-my-content). Feel free to leave kudos, comments, or get in touch through [my Tumblr](https://matan4il.tumblr.com/)! <333


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